Port of Mobile Directory
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THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE A L A B A M A OF THE ALABAMA STATE PORT AUTHORITY SEAPORT DECEMBER 20 10 ALABAMA SEAPORT PUBLISHED CONTINUOUSLY SINCE 1927 • DECEMBER 2010 On The Cover: From the Mobile Sea Buoy to docking at the Port of Mobile, only Mobile Bar GET REAL Pilots are allowed to move ships in that 30-mile span as well as at the ports What’s real? Our KC-45 tanker. It’s the only tanker in the Air Force competition that is in production, fl ying for all inbound and outbound traffic. These pilots safely guide ships, tugs, oil rigs, barges and even cruise boats from foreign into local waters and and ready now. By contrast, our competitor’s concept aircraft exists only on paper—an unproven design back out, relying on their specialized knowledge of local waters, weather that’s never been built or fl own. Our warfi ghters deserve a real tanker—one that will be built here in the conditions and how these will affect particular ships. For their commute to U.S., by tens of thousands of Americans. So let’s get real: KC-45. work, the bar pilots use two aluminum hull boats: the MOBILE and the ALABAMA, built by Breaux Brothers out of Loreauville, La. 4 12 www.eadsnorthamerica.com Alabama State Port Authority P.O. Box 1588, Mobile, Alabama 36633, USA P: 251.441.7200 • F: 251.441.7216 • asdd.com James K. Lyons, Director, CEO Contents Larry R. Downs, Secretary-Treasurer/CFO Mobile Bar Pilots: Channeling Commerce for 300 Years ...........................4 FINANCIAL SERVICES Larry Downs, Secretary/Treasurer 251.441.7050 Mobile Container Terminal Welcomes New Leader .....................................7 Linda K. Paaymans, Vice President 251.441.7036 COMPTROLLER Pete Dranka 251.441.7057 ASPA New York Reception. ..............................................................................9 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Stan Hurston, Manager 251.441.7017 HUMAN RESOURCES Danny Barnett, Manager 251.441.7004 Made in Alabama: ThyssenKrupp Opens Mills with Gala Event ............. 12 RISK MANAGEMENT Kevin Malpas, Manager 251.441.7118 INTERNAL AUDITOR Avito DeAndrade 251.441.7210 At the Helm: Brian Harold ..............................................................................18 Currents ............................................................................................................ 20 MARKETING Judith Adams, Vice President 251.441.7003 Port Calls: Mardi Gras: Mobile’s Biggest Family-Friendly Tradition ...... 24 Sheri Reid, Manager, Public Affairs 251.441.7001 Pete O’Neal, Manager, Real Estate 251.441.7123 Of Men & Ships: Swarms of “Yellow Bees” over the Coast ....................27 Pat Scott, Manager, Fixed Assets 251.441.7113 John Goff, Manager, Theodore Operations 251.443.7982 OPERATIONS Departments H.S. “Smitty” Thorne, Executive Vice President/COO 251.441.7238 Bradley N. Ojard, Vice President 251.441.8133 Arrivals/Sailings .............................................................................................. 32 Glenn Reibe, Training & Quality Control Manager 251.441.7156 Ron Adler, Asst. General Manager, Operations 251.441.7316 Postcards from the Past ...............................................................................35 BULK OPERATIONS Raymond Dearmon, Manager 251.441.7676 Melvin Barnett, Operations Superintendent 251.441.7675 Port of Mobile Directory ................................................................................36 TERMINAL RAILWAY Mike Russell, General Manager 251.441.7301 Steamship Agencies & Lines ........................................................................38 GENERAL CARGO/INTERMODAL OPERATIONS John Mickler, Manager P: 251.441.7235 F: 251.441.7231 CUSTOMER SERVICE Marx Nicholson, Manager 251.441.7047 TRAFFIC/SALES Anna Ward, Manager 251.441.7516 Chuck Camp, Logistics Manager 251.441.8179 PORT POLICE CHIEF Jimmie Flanagan P: 251.441.7777 F: 251.441.7172 TRUCK CONTROL Lester Davidson 251.441.7098 HARBOR MASTER Capt. Terry Gilbreath 251.441.7074 PLANNING & SECURITY F-16 refueling operation, Nov. 3, 2009 Hal Hudgins, Vice President 251.441.7237 See the video at www.KC-45now.com. ENGINEERING SERVICES Jerald Kichler, P.E., Director 251.441.8975 ENVIRONMENTAL & PROGRAM MANAGEMENT 24 Bob Harris, Director 251.441.7085 27 TRADE & DEVELOPMENT Mark I. Sheppard, Vice President 251.441.7201 An Equal Opportunity Employer Todd Jones, Director Trade & Development 251.441.7144 ALABAMA SEAPORT (ISSN 1524-8259) is published monthly by the marketing department, Alabama State Port LATIN AMERICA SALES & TRADE DEVELOPMENT Maria Mendez, Director 251.441.7535 Authority. The magazine is provided free of charge upon written request from customers and friends of the Alabama State Port Authority. Material contained herein, except when copyrighted, may be reproduced in whole or in part. A credit–line “Reprinted from ALABAMA SEAPORT” will be appreciated, and it is requested that a copy of the publica- tion, containing the material used, be sent to Editor, ALABAMA SEAPORT, Alabama State Port Authority, P.O. Box 1588, Mobile, Alabama 36633 U.S.A. EADS KC-45Ad CDQ 8.5x11.indd 1 4/27/10 3:43:29 PM “The boardings become second nature to you, but you still Mobile Bar Pilots: go through every step every time. There are accidents; that’s Channeling Commerce for 300 Years part of it.” When King Louis XIV of France appointed Mobile’s first permanent bar The Mobile Bar Pilots use two aluminum hull boats, the MO- pilot in 1711, chances are he couldn’t have even imagined 300 years later, BILE and the ALABAMA. “We have two boats because of bar pilots would be tracking ships by highly specialized computer systems, what we ask out of them,” said Wilson. “We push the life updating assignments via a secure website and using fuel-efficient en- and maintenance out of them.” Every six months the boats gines in the pilot boats. are pulled from the water for necessary repairs and mainte- nance. While the average life span of an aluminum hull boat But then as well as now, bar pilots have played an integral part of the Bob Riley, Governor of Alabama is 20 years, thanks to scrupulous care, the bar pilots’ boats flow of commerce shipping in and out of the Mobile area. Guiding ships ALABAMA STATE PORT AUTHORITY can last up to 40 years. The aluminum hull pilot boats are through the narrow Mobile Ship Channel, these pilots have specialized Tim Parker Jr., Chair, Tuscaloosa built by Breaux Brothers out of Loreauville, La. knowledge of local waters, weather conditions and how these will affect Term expires July 31, 2013 The pilot launch captain must match the vessel’s speed, maneuver close particular ships. For ships, tugs, oil rigs, barges and even cruise boats, David J. Cooper, Vice Chair, Mobile Based in Dauphin Island in south Mobile County, there are enough for the bar pilot to climb a rope ladder on the side of the ship and Mobile Bar Pilots safely guide these ships from foreign into local waters, Term expires July 31, 2013 two crew members at the Mobile Bar Pilot Station at all not damage either vessel during the transit. William B. Bru, 2nd Vice Chair, Mobile then back out. “It’s their ship, but they don’t know our channel, our cur- times. Their job is to run the launch, board and disembark Term expires August 2, 2014 rents,” explained Mobile Bar Pilot President Patrick Wilson. H.L. “Sonny” Callahan, Mobile ships, communicate with ships, and remain in constant con- Term expires August 2, 2014 tact with the Port of Mobile for updated information in car- As the outbound vessel passes Sand Island While there are currently about 1,000 bar pilots in the United States, Richard Weavil, Mobile go delays, “speed ups,” and estimated times of arrival and Lighthouse, the pilot launch matches its speed and meets it at the 1 and 2 channel buoys for Mobile has 14 serving the Port of Mobile, as well as the ports of Theodore Term expires July 31, 2015 departure. There is also an office in downtown Mobile with the bar pilot to disembark. and Bayou La Batre. From the Mobile Sea Buoy to docking at the Port of Mike Fields, Tuscaloosa a dispatcher and office manager. “There are no business Term expires August 2, 2014 Mobile, only bar pilots are allowed to move ships in that 30-mile span as hours,” explained Wilson. “We never shut down. It’s 24/7 Joseph McCarty, Birmingham well as at the ports for all inbound and outbound traffic. From the 400- Term expires July 31, 2015 every day of the year, though there is an answering service foot wide Mobile Ship Channel to navigating Mobile’s new turning basin to Algernon Stanley, Huntsville to handle logistical queries at night.” docking at the Port of Mobile, the job requires close quarter maneuvering, Term expires July 31, 2015 skill and years of experience. “We pride ourselves on minimal business The Honorable Sam Jones, An AIS-based tracking system, a high-end electronics system interruption,” said Wilson. Mayor, City of Mobile (Ex-Officio) similar to GPS, allows the bar pilots to monitor ships all over Term Expires July 31, 2011 the world in real time for speed and distance. “Technology has Mobile Bar Pilots operate in a specific geographic area: from the Mobile ALABAMA SEAPORT EDITORIAL STAFF changed the industry,” explained Wilson. A new Web-based Sea Buoy to the Cochran Bridge. For inbound vessels, the bar pilots board Judith Adams, Editor-in-Chief scheduling system allows the bar pilots to check in from one mile south of the sea buoy, giving them time to board, make the pilot/ Maureen Smith, Managing Editor any location to see what trips they are assigned to and the master exchange and accommodate any necessary changes in the given Scott Rye, Contributing Editor accompanying details, both of which can change frequently. weather. The outgoing exchange is made at the 1 and 2 channel buoys. Sheri Reid, Editor-at-Large While on the vessel, the bar pilot has total control, from the choice of course EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Bar pilots have an hour to an hour and a half notice before a to steer to rudder commands and adjustments to the engine speed.